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User blog:Mr. Bambu/Super Duper D
Premise This blog aims to explain pretty much anything to do with my D&D Homebrew campaign, be it aspects I introduced or those introduced by crossovers or DMs that ran it before me (there have been five, not including myself). So we will make this for the purpose of having explanations as well as I can provide them. This blog is written from the viewpoint of 553 AR, the current year of the Homebrew Campaign. Note that in the VSBW table, it is at 543 AR- ten years behind the main table. Explanations Organizations |-|The Circle of Eight= A group of mages very much canon to the actual lore of Dungeons and Dragons in the original Greyhawk setting, this group has a history in the Homebrew campaign. In the years of 441 AR, the Circle of Eight was created, containing Mordenkainen and most of his adventuring party, Yrag, Bigby, Rigby, Zigby, Felnorith, Vram, and Vin. This party was not slated to last, however, and most of this party eventually died off in catastrophic events- battling with the fiend Iuz and other means. More specifically... * Vram, Vin, and Yrag are all slain by Iuz on his passage to godhood. Bigby is similarly killed, but manages to revive. * Zigby and Rigby are killed in a fatal duel over a large land holding. * Felnorith falls in combat sealing away a terrible dragon called a Quazar Dragon, one much larger than Oerth. The remaining survivors, Bigby and Mordenkainen, go on to create a new council for their great octagonal obsidian keep- Mordenkainen gathers the most powerful mages on the plane, namely, Rary, Otiluke, Drawmij, Tenser, Otto, and Nystul. The Circle did much good in the following years, with those of them that were not immortal growing gray with age. In the year 526, however, Rary schemes with the Captain of the Greyhawk guards, Robilar, and betrays the Circle, managing to slay Tenser and Otiluke. Rary battles the others briefly, before fleeing, with the entire area of Greyhawk becoming destroyed. In the aftermath, Rary retreats to his keep, bringing Robilar with him. Mordenkainen watches as Nystul and Otto also leave the council, and Bigby eventually succumbs to his wounds from the battle with Rary. Drawmij is the only other member to remain with Mordenkainen in the City of Greyhawk, and begin actively recruiting other worthy mages. Years later, during the Dragon Wars, Mordenkainen is seen alongside Elminster, leading battles against the forces of Tiamat. It is believed Elminster has joined the Circle of Eight from his own multiverse, assisting his long time ally and friend. A price has been on Rary's head for years, being valued at 500,000,000 gp. Capital Location: Greyhawk Years Active: 441-Present Notable Living Members: Mordenkainen, Drawmij, Elminster Notable Former Members: Rary, Nystul, Otto, Otiluke, Bigby, Tenser |-|The Guardians= The Guardians are an expansive adventuring group with the goal of granting even mundane citizens access to protection from evil. With shaky beginnings, Xavier Nightchild and Ryan St. Germaine are among the most notable Guardians, with beings such as Lord Wrathian, Drax, Balin, and Dexion Starr taking a backseat. The Guardians manage to do much good, however take on their fair share of opponents- most notable of which include Bobba Yogga, a witch hag so powerful the gods themselves fear her, and Big Money Gripp, a devil summoned through the powers of a Deck of Many Things. Gripp destroys the original castle of the Guardians, and slays several members. Some time after their creation, the Guardian City is built around their keep, a spatial abnormality generated by Xavier. Xavier begins his labors to ascending to godhood. The Guardians become defunct upon Xavier's rise to godhood (and the resulting recluse-like actions), as well as the loss of several members. Ryan St. Germaine is viewed as the leader for a long time, leading what little remained of their order. Eventually, Xavier became active again, some time after becoming a deity of magic and completing his trials. During this time, several new members join the Guardians- Karin Tir, Nandor, and Xinithar being extremely noteworthy members. Sometime after their joining, the War of Guardian City takes place between several local powers. With armies led by Nandor and Vaerun, Guardian City prevails, pushing back the threat. Sometime later, Vaerun becomes the leader of the second generation of Guardians- now named the Sentinels. Eventually, Xavier joins in the Mage Wars- both in an effort to halt the advance of Flagg, and to regain many lost party members from Acererak. After sending a party to take care of the latter, Xavier begins focusing on campaigns to tear away the power of Flagg. The Guardians are officially allies with many notable nations and organizations, including Vaerun's own forces, Lordran, Scant, Ulek, and even Greyhawk. The Guardians align with Xavier's choice and enter the Mage Wars to battle Flagg. Capital Location: Guardian City Years Active: 452-475, 528-Present Notable Members: Xavier Nightchild, Ryan St. Germaine, Dexion Starr, Nandor, Karin Tir, Vaerun, Balin, Xinithar, Oulu, Dinestra, Arminius Notable Former Members: Curufin of the Bow, Orric, Thordin, Starburst |-|Dragon Council= The Dragon Council effectively leads all dragons within the Prime Material Plane, and is led by a single Celestial Dragon- Maryn. The council remained relatively dormant until the time of the Dragon and Mage Wars, taking an interest in the former due to halting Tiamat's advances towards acquisition of the Prime Material Plane, and the latter due to the multiversal threat Flagg posed to the world. It is known that, upon Maryn ascending to her position as the Celestial Dragon in charge of the Dragon Council, Father Braniman was made into a high ranking officer of the Council, and main contact with outside groups. Maryn has rarely seen others aside from the Council, with the rare few being Mogar, Vaerun, Nandor, and Orric. Arminius is also allowed passage to see his leaders, as a Dragon Knight. Capital Location: Dragon City (I forget the name) Years Active: 0-Present Notable Members: Maryn, Father Braniman, Bahamut Notable Former Members: NA |-|Flagg's War Council= Randall Flagg's goal in life was to manipulate the very core of all magic in the multiverse to favor him, to become a god without the weaknesses. He did so by manipulating Malygos, Aspect of Magic, driving him insane. Flagg achieved his goal, and Malygos was effectively made insane, with the Nexus of Magic becoming open to him- and there he changed the laws of reality at will. Even gods such as Mystra were subject to his changes, for her Weave was merely the face of the Nexus, the conduit of its power. Flagg ruled over many legions, billions of soldiers, and saw to it that any deemed a threat were harassed and killed- he even ordered the deaths of Orric, Mogar, Vaerun, Ciren, and many others, succeeding in killing both Orric and Oulu, though both were brought back with due haste. Flagg's council included many notable members, including Deathwing, Acererak, Bobba Yogga, and Tiamat. Capital Location: The Nexus of Magic Years Active: 528-Present Notable Members: Randall Flagg, Bobba Yogga, Deathwing, Acererak, Tiamat Notable Former Members: Dark Ranger Kezan |-|Ravenloft Grand Citadel= The Ravenloft Citadel is a group of powerful undead that govern all undead within the Prime Material Plane, generally made up of liches and vampires. Unlike most undead, however, these undead are not required to be evil and are in fact generally neutral. This Citadel attempts to balance all undead within the world, and makes plans to destroy enemies. The will of Ravenloft itself is controlled by this group. Their main enemy is The Scourge, as its leader, Arthas, seeks to destroy and snuff out opposing factions. The Citadel is renowned for their diplomatic prowess, often causing in-fighting between the various vampire lords to gain power. The Citadel generally resides in the enormous city of Sirius Tiran, with each vampire lord holding power over their own districts of the city. The council was made in response to Acererak, a demilich that caused a multiversal death curse by bringing an Atropal out of the Negative Plane. Capital Location: Sirius Tiran Years Active: 8-Present Notable Members: Boian Popescu Notable Former Members: NA |-|Braniman's Mercenaries= Father Braniman, prior to his time with the Dragon Council, was a cleric of low standing charged with the protection of Maryn, a young elvish girl. After she was kidnapped, Braniman hired a group of mercenaries from various backgrounds to save her. After Braniman's party managed to save Maryn, they were transported away to the Isle of Dread, and then, upon clearing the Island, to Roona. Following the siege of Roona, in which Braniman and his adventurers took part, Maryn departed from them, with Braniman falling to the Yuan Ti of the Forbidden City. The party stuck together despite losing their leader, but eventually aligned with other groups and disbanded, dispersing into other organizations. That said, the party is still roughly together to this day, acting as a very fluid band of allies that meet and discuss great threats to one another, and actively working to defeat their collective foes. Over time the party gathered many resources- Vaerun held power over a great kingdom in the North, Mogar was a baron of the Yeomanry, Shaitan was a major power of Rift Canyon, Orric commanded a force of lesser adventurers, so on and so forth. The party had reached the zenith. Eventually, it became hard to tell where Braniman's Mercenaries ended and The Guardians began- while many of the Mercenaries had joined, some were not but all were loosely aligned with the Guardians. Notably, Mogar, Starburst, and Thordin were among those that explicitly were not among the ranks of the Guardians, all of whom were among the first of Braniman's Mercenaries. Capital Location: Varies, Locations include Serth LaKresh, Sirius Tiran, Verbobonc, Guardian City, and Yharnam Years Active: 525-Present Notable Members: Vaerun, Mogar, Orric, Thordin, Starburst, Arcanther, Sir Blackblood, Rocca Notable Former Members: Father Braniman, Gruut, Evil Bowman |-|The Barony of Lordran= The Barony of Lordran was a moderately sized sub-kingdom of the Yeomanry, ruled over by Mogar alongside several other members of Braniman's Mercenaries (Gimple, Thordin). The kingdom was founded in the interest of distancing themselves from the Guardians, who had a history of greed over neutrality. The Barony sought to mix magic with metal, and quickly became a place of great commerce and invention, largely thanks to the alliance with Midworld's Gunslingers (notably The Marvelous Chester) and the archmage Thordin, a long time friend of Mogar. It was with this combination of magic and technology that Lordran contributed to the War of the Hell Furnaces, defeating the giants and Gorsh in particular. The Barony is still allied with Guardian City, and has personally made offers to Xavier Nightchild for help, should he need them. In the time following the war, the Barony has become known for its Hunters, elite warriors clothed in dark to battle the beasts of the night. The Hunters are largely believed to be evil- rather, they are meant for safety and the expansion of knowledge. Mogar became obsessed with knowledge- he sought eldritch readings and immediately created the Hunters and, ultimately, other organizations- Absolvers, The Research Commission, and so on. The Kingdom would be the center of all knowledge. Mogar gathered around him his own council of beings, prepared to defend the knowledge of the world, so they would never forget what happened. Capital Location: Yharnam Years Active: 538-Present Notable Members: Mogar, Thordin, Gimple, Chester, The Stranger, Feredir, Kamui, Thyrin, Risryn, Girzmaldur Ruuk, The Marvelous Chester Notable Former Members: NA |-|Forsaken= A divergent band of undead led by the Banshee Queen Sylvannas. This band broke off from the Scourge, after a brief battle between Sylvannas and Arthas. The Undead here are aggressive towards outsiders, and very rarely make contact with outside forces. They are known to have some sort of pact with the otherworldly beings of Rift Canyon. The party once robbed the Undercity Undead for several magic items under the guidance of Vaerun. Capital Location: Undercity Years Active: 413-Present Notable Members: Sylvannas, Kureldon, Katharax Notable Former Members: NA |-|Vaerun's Watch= A stand in name for Vaerun's multiple cities and keeps, his network of territory in the far north. Vaerun has built this over his long span of absolute power, and has conquered most forces surrounding his keeps. His multiple armies patrol the lands, eliminating all enemies of their master. Vaerun's kingdom is known for its relatively dark origins- the castle was built with blood money from slave trade and theft, and has the reputation of holding fey creatures while waiting for their deaths at the hands of Vaerun's Mind Flayer ally, Mo'ad. Vaerun runs an expansive crime network but does have a tendency for good as well, and used his armies to contribute heavily to the Mage Wars and War of Guardian City. Similarly, he has opened his city to those that he considers allies to use freely, and be exempt from Vaerun's standards of turning all citizens into shades immediately. Vaerun has made reparations for many actions taken in the past against party members, including Orric and Mogar, two that he butt heads with several times. That has not in fact affected his rule over his city, a place of dark magic and evil species- Skaven, Drow, and Duergar all take active roles in this city, with many being a part of Vaerun's personal council. Additionally, the city is heavily aligned with psionic species. Vaerun is also well known for recruiting former enemies into his pay. Capital Location: Serth LaKresh Years Active: 527-Present Notable Members: Vaerun, Mo'ad, Sister (?), Arcanther, Ferrax Notable Former Members: Starburst, Dinestra |-|Dragon Riders= A couple of large forces of otherworldly Dragon Riders, elite foot soldiers of the Dragon Council. These Riders are technically still in training, but are heavily associated with Arminius, a former paladin who has joined their ranks as a Dragon Knight. They also are known to work alongside Shaitan in the Rift Canyon. The Dragon Riders have been personally prepared by Maryn's advisers for the coming Dragon Wars. Capital Location: None Years Active: 543-Present Notable Members: Arminius Notable Former Members: None |-|The Gunslingers= A powerful group of beings from the plane of Midworld, Gunslingers are users of some sort of mechanical magic (in our world, guns). They are an organization of defenders who vowed to stop Randall Flagg. Upon entrance to Oerth, Gunslingers were rare but potent, with several allying with both Mogar and Vaerun, the oldest reference of which was The Marvelous Chester. The Gunslingers have mixed and mingled with Oerth's locale, explaining their presence by saying that this center reality would be the epicenter of the War of the Nexus. Many Gunslingers abandoned their post, some going so far as to join Flagg and attempting to kill major enemies to his power (some attacking Mogar, Vaerun, and Orric). Eventually, the Gunslingers became so immersed in this world that they joined various organizations, with many becoming members of Vaerun's city and several becoming the progenitors of Mogar's Hunters. Capital Location: Midworld Years Active: ???-Present Notable Members: The Marvelous Chester, The Stranger, Bill Notable Former Members: None Artifacts This list of artifact list aims to explain certain aspects of various artifacts found in the world by the party thus far. |-|Wondrous Items= * The Gem of Flawlessness Function: The Gem can be placed around other gems to multiply their respective values. This can be done once per facet of the Gem of Flawlessness, and was used to give Vaerun absurd amounts of riches. Using 50,000 gp gems, he gained millions. * The Sphere of Annihilation Function: The Sphere is a semi-sentient sphere that can be controlled with one's thoughts, and is among the most powerful artifacts available- in this case, the sphere was taken from Acererak by Vaerun. * The Black Pearl Function: The Black Pearl's powers are unknown to all but Vaerun, but generally speaking it seems to take the user to where they need to be- it teleports the target to various locations, and is believed to be able to commune with the gods themselves. * Luck Stone Function: While not immensely rare, these artifacts are valuable, and are imbued with immense luck. This luck grants the user a bonus in all actions they take, be it resisting a certain effect or managing to succeed in a certain skill. Some Luck Stones are so potent that they are tied to a single bloodline, and offer much more immense luck than their normal counterparts. * Deck of Many Things Function: A seemingly mundane pile of 52 tarot cards, each card, when drawn, has a miraculous (or disastrous) effect, ranging from sending the user outside of reality or to a barren plane of Hell, to granting them immense riches or a permanent companion. It is extremely hazardous to use. * Medallion of Night Function: A golden medallion pillaged from a spectre's corpse. It is used by Ferrax to summon a Nightmare to fight and carry him across long distances. |-|Weapons= * Volsil Function: This sword is covered in light, and does extra damage to evil creatures. It is owned by Curufin of the Bow, though it was granted to Mogar briefly before its shattering. * Piercing Dawn Function: This spear was to date the most powerful single weapon found by the party, and was granted to Mogar before being taken by Big Money Gripp upon Mogar's death and crucifixion at his hands. The weapon was believed to be owned by a god. * Holy Avenger Function: The Holy Avenger was, to any normal wielder, a simple magic longsword made from pure silver. Upon being used by a paladin or holy warrior, the weapon revealed its sentience, and was a horrible bane to evil foes, smiting them immediately. * The Rod of Lordly Might Function: The rod, when used, is a normal mace. However, upon pressing one of several buttons on the hilt of the weapon, it transforms, varying from a forcefield-piercing axe, a flaming sword, to a ladder normally used to fly at high speeds through barriers. The rod also grants the user teleportation abilities. * Sagittarius Bow Function: The bow creates spectral arrows from nothing, and can imbue them with various magical properties whenever needed (force, acid, electricity, cold, and fire). It is wielded by Nandor. Locations |-|Sirius Tiran= Sirius Tiran is a mobile city that was once home to a great array of mage factions. Upon the original mage wars beginning, the mages began tearing the city apart with their bickering and rivalries. The most powerful mage of the city, with a name lost to time, banished all of them from Sirius Tiran, and declared that once a decade the city would move locations, to ensure that it would remain neutral forever. Sirius Tiran is the largest city on Oerth, boasting over one million peoples of various species, and one of the largest magical institutions in the universe. As such, no single person is capable of ruling it, and instead it is ruled by various powerful figures, notably the Ravenloft Citadel and the hierarchs of the arcane college of the city. |-|Guardian City= Guardian City is the home base of the Guardians (as the name implies) and was created by the followers of the group after the construction of their keep by Xavier Nightchild. Currently the city is ruled by Nandor in place of the busy higher-ranking Guardians. The city has a loose form of government and a heavy focus on soldiers, having an army not much smaller than the otherwise civilian population. |-|Yharnam= The capital city of Lordran, a barony in the Northern Yeomanry, Yharnam has been rushed through construction by immense funding gained from lucrative mining projects and technological advancement. The city is base to many organizations, including The Research Commission, The Absolvers, and The Hunters. The city is also a central point of combining magic with technological advancement, wielding strange tech known as firearms, among others. The city thrives on knowledge and the gathering, protecting, and recording of such knowledge. It is led by Mogar, who received the land it is built on during the War of the Hell Furnaces. |-|Serth LaKresh= The keep and city of Vaerun, this city is under a constant cloud of darkness to comfort the dark beings of the city, including Skaven, Drow, and Mind Flayers. The city itself is technically neutral and is known for its unique magics that originate from there. The city played a critical role in the Gunslingers trials, offering rooms to all that would rest there, benefiting the city by allowing Vaerun to research further into the troublesome state of magic caused by Flagg's interference. |-|Verbabonc= An elven city ruled by a council of woodland elves, Verbabonc is a common central point to many adventures, and is the home to a variety of fey creatures. Interestingly enough, it is also the origin point of banking, creating the practice some time ago with their magically sealed vaults. Vaerun holds ownership of a very small keep and a rather large cavern within the city limits, and it is known that Gimple the Tinker has a bomb shop set up within its walls. |-|Greyhawk= The home of the Circle of Eight, Greyhawk was ravaged by the Greyhawk Wars between Rary and Mordenkainen (which even now is only in a stalemate). The city once boasted an impressive hold over magic, though that has retrogressed significantly with the province's unfortunate destruction during the starting moments of the Greyhawk Wars. Currently the city is in relative disarray, and actively recruits noteworthy mages to join the Circle of Eight to begin a new age for the city. |-|Loftwick= The once proud capital of the Yeomanry, Loftwick was left in ruins during the War of the Hell Furnaces, and is undergoing repairs. It mainly seeks peace with surrounding nations due to the instability of the kingdom, despite eventually winning the war. |-|Dalaran= A floating city in the far north, Dalaran is home to the Kirin Tor mages, an organization of mages from across the multiverse that further the study of magic in all schools. The Kirin Tor balances magic, never contributing heavily to good or evil- thus barring both clerics and necromancers alike from access. Dalaran currently is ruled by Rhonin, a mage who was previously offered a position in the Circle of Eight. He uses the city as the staging ground for his mages in the upcoming Mage Wars. Creature Lore The amount of creatures within the verse is vast. Possibly unending, considering the whole "infinite multiverse" shtick. Here I will list brief factoids about the creatures of the verse. |-|Aboleths= Aboleths were, for all intents and purposes, the mistakes of the gods making the multiverse. Upon generating the multiverse for their games, the five dimensional space collided with the thoughts of the eldritch beings residing in the higher dimensional area of the miasma. Upon doing so, the thoughts bled physically into the newborn multiverse, thus generating the oldest species within the world- Aboleths, physical manifestations of thoughts. |-|Aliax= Aliax is the name given to the singular entity devised by Lumi as a one stop use for any issue he may have with the denizens of his world. The other beings of the multiverse (at least, those short of the Elder Gods who have direct contact with Lumi) assume it was sent by those very same Elder Gods to dole out their will. They are similarly unaware of the fact that every Aliax is simply another copy of the same brooding creature, a disembodied idea forged by Lumi. The original Aliax projects copies of itself onto reality to assure Lumi's will is met, perfectly imitating even the smallest detail. |-|Fanadin= Fanadin are small mixtures of flying squirrels and raccoons. They live in tropical locations and prefer high altitudes, building villages in the canopies of trees to avoid the predators below. They have always been very good allies of the Rakhasta. Currently the strongest Fanadin in the world is Rocca, the ranger. |-|Rakhasta= Rakhastas are, for all intents and purposes, the standard "cat person" species. Khajiit but with less of the did nothing wrong. They are generally a tribal species and until recently did little of note with the world. However, upon the Isle of Dread becoming notable (and subsequently completely conquered), the Rakhasta have been immensely present within the world. They are notable for their immense pantheon of gods and the religion, which is largely based around mystics. The strongest Rakhasta in the world is, of course, Arcanther the Deathless. |-|Tarrasque= The Tarrasque is a creation of the Primordials to spite the gods. By the laws of the game, very few gods can directly influence the Prime Material Plane, and Oerth is especially protected. However, the Primordials, the enemies of the gods who take joy in interrupting their game, created their own pieces to upset the balance. The Tarrasque is one such creature, a being that is nearly impenetrable in the world of Greyhawk. Story Arcs This area aims to describe the story arcs of my own campaign. Note that our campaign is technically a divergent timeline of the original table- events will take place differently to allow change and non-conformity. A new story, if you will. However, up to the point in the story where our protagonists appear, it is exactly the same timeline. Upon this adventuring party being hewn from the cosmological rock of reality, two possibilities emerged in the Trousers of Time as they are called. Our adventurers are speeding at faster than light speed down the left leg... Note that the levels section of each arc refers only to average levels- beings that are regularly higher level than their comrades (Vaerun, Curufin, etc)- are generally not included in this. Original Table |-|Flight of Maryn Arc= The adventure begins once again as Father Braniman, a cleric of Saint Cuthbert, gathers local warriors and mages to save Maryn, a young girl who has been kidnapped and taken away to a nearby abandoned fort by a Kobold named Krypp. There, they discover Vaerun, at the time a captured Elf who was thieving from the Kobolds. There is much in-fighting, notably between Starburst the Mage and Orric the Fighter, the former of which accidentally stabbed Orric with her knife. The Party quickly and successfully finds Maryn and saves her from the Kobold (who miraculously disappears upon death) but is teleported away by a strange black pearl... all save for Mogar, who comes back later with help and a complete lack of understanding on what is happening. Levels: 1-3 |-|Isle of Dread Arc= The party finds themselves on the shores of a lost island, named by the locals "The Isle of Dread". They discover jungle tribes, strange forest creatures, and even dinosaurs. However, the party must forge through even the most treacherous parts of the island, the Aranea Colony, to discover safety for their new ally, Maryn. The party is prone to squabbling even more, especially when one Dwarf notices a hefty amount of gold in the area. Barely scraping by, the group manages to get to a ruined temple on the opposite side of the jungle, alongside the migratory tribes trying to avoid the cataclysm slowly occurring in the area, and manages to escape, once again saved by their mysterious black pearl. Levels: 4-5 |-|Siege of Roona Arc= The party awakes after the terrible island in a warehouse of the City of Roona, a powerful city-state on another side of the world. The city is under threat of siege from Rockholm, a Dwarven country nearby, that has been told of certain heresies done within the city walls by various members. The party is tasked with solving this issue of a dark church and a king who has not been seen in years. The party follows a bread crumb trail of sorts to the mountains, wherein they battle great evil (including a powerful mummy who scars Arcanther with Mummy Rot), but manage to find evidence needed to find the perpetrator of the heresy- Xanalon, the local Archdeacon, was in fact a dark wizard, forcing the people to worship heathen gods and demons to bring himself to power. After confronting him, the party saves the king (who had been paralyzed by some spell) and immediately raids his treasury, promptly leaving. The party leaves the city and, Maryn, having miraculously grown to the age of a fully grown adult in mere weeks, transforms into a mighty dragon with shimmering scales the likes of which have never been seen before, and flies away. Levels: 6-8 |-|Forbidden City Arc= Vaerun has a geas put onto him by a powerful force whom he asks a favor of- the geas requires him to slay the Witches of the Forbidden City, with an evil leprechaun hiding in his Bag of Holding all the while. With his life in ruins, the party travels north to the Forbidden City and experiences great tragedy within, losing Father Braniman to become a fly by the magic of local Yuan Ti. Within the city, the party slays the coven of witches but discovers other points of interest as well- including a Drow plot to use the Mongrelmen to raid the Barbarian towns, a powerful artifact known as the Gem of Flawlessness, and young Mogar, transformed into a cat. Several new party members are also found during this time- most notably Ferrax, an Elf noble kidnapped by Invisible Stalkers, and Hithlum, a former pirate. Vaerun steals the Gem of Flawlessness and uses its power to become richer than the kings themselves, and increase his power exponentially. Levels: 9 |-|Keep on the Borderlands Mini Arc= As a flashback arc, Ferrax's backstory is revealed- he was once a leader of an expedition for Greyhawk, commanding a small unit of adventurers (largely criminals) through two separate missions. The first, the Keep on the Borderlands, ended in dreaded failure for Ferrax, as most of his party either died or fled. Ferrax, a kleptomaniac thief, was detained for his failures, and sent to lead yet another mission. Levels: 3-4 |-|The Haunted Mansion Mini Arc= Ferrax once again led a small crew of adventurers, notably Garreth and Krow, to a mansion that has been causing issues for Greyhawk. After much exploration and several party members departing from the area (Gimple and another gnome), Ferrax manages to lead his group into the depths of the mansion... ...once there, a cave opens up with a spectral ship being present in the bay area. The party boards and fight embodiments of fear caused by a curse over the area- The Headless Horseman, The Butcher, The Nightmare, and The Shape all are battled and defeated (save for The Nightmare, who swears to come again). Vervaine is lost to the bottom of the ocean, and manages to push back the waters only barely. Levels: 5-6 |-|Castle Amber Arc= The party is invited to Castle Amber, a long-lost mansion ruled by the Amber family, a wealthy and influential group led by Stephan Amber, an archmage. Upon his death (supposedly at the hands of his family), the manor was engulfed in a cloud of mist, and when the mist cleared, the manor was gone. The party is brought to the manor in their sleep, and finds it has been taken over by eldritch forces, with surreal rooms and time becoming distorted around it. They cannot leave due to the mist- it drives any who enter mad, killing them. The party is forced to battle through the manor- notably battling werewolves, demons, and strange creatures, and enduring the odd rooms- including a ball room that is looped in time. Eventually, the party comes upon a Deck of Many Things, run by a shrouded gypsy woman, and the deck causes many things to occur. The most important of these are the party's new Cleric, Arken the Dwarf, to be sent to Hell, Orric having his alignment flipped, and Mogar to become braindead. They discover another cleric ramblingin the manor and save him, and with the new cleric (Xinithar), they confront Stephen Amber, the ruler of the castle, in his tomb. After defeating his tomb, the party meets Amber, who has had his mind cleared by their actions, Amber grants them three wishes; one brings Mogar back, one returns Orric to his original form, and one for relics of great power. Levels: 10-11 |-|The Beasts of Averoigne Arc= The party is set loose into what might be called a string of side adventures to escape the sub-dimension; largely this includes tracking down a powerful necromancer who has been wreaking havoc on the denizens of the realm- notably, piercing holes into other realities, creating massive bone golems to destroy the cities, and causing people to transform into beasts. After slaying a local priest that had become a slithering black monstrosity, the party manages to discover the sorcerer after much time, and slays him, taking the artifact (unsurprisingly, it is a black pearl) and return back to their reality. Levels: 12 |-|Shadow Manor Arc= After finally coming back to the Flanaess following a shipwreck, the party is petitioned by Sirius Tiran to deal with a plague of shadows on the mountainous trading path between Sirius Tiran and Highfolk. The party investigates and finds the leadership of the manor has not been seen for some time. After much research of the area, a crystal surrounded by creatures of darkness is found, and through scrying seems to be a portal to the Plane of Shadows. Once the party defeated the creatures surrounding it, the proponent of the madness emerged- a shadow Rakshasa, possessing the masters of the Shadow Manor, reached through to infest Mogar with his consciousness. After Mogar resisted this, the party sealed the creature away by venturing into the Plane of Shadow to hold the portal whilst Vaerun went to the Keep of the Rakshasa, to destroy the object that allowed him to remain in the Prime Material. During the battle, many of the party were severely wounded- limbs broken and many bleeding out. Levels: 13-14 |-|The Disappearing Citadel Arc= The party is forced to take on a mission by Xavier Nightchild, to investigate odd occurrences around the abandoned site of an evil mage's castle. It was discovered, eventually, that the underground complexes were still there, and thus the party went in. After much resistance (notably including basilisks and ogre magi), the party is teleported to the true tower- a sub-dimension that tore through realities, mimicking aspects of them as it tore away a piece of them. Notably, the floors of the tower mimicked every single Elemental Plane as well as several others- including an infinite garden-like maze, or a tower of a royal killed by ghosts, locked in a time loop. After solving the issues of each floor of the tower, the party reached the final room, where an immense gem permanently shot a beam around the room calmly. Upon touching the ray, two party members became soul-less husks, dying instantly. After figuring out the puzzle of the room (and how to reach the gem through invisible walls), the party shattered the gem, and successfully teleported out of the now-crumbling tower. Their allies received new bodies later with their soul, along with tens of thousands of others, released. Levels: 15 |-|Kingdom Under the Sun Arc= The party is once again forced to take on a mission by their "patron", Xavier Nightchild- the kingdoms of the desert had been getting confused messages from their pharaoh, a being they believed was a god. The pharaoh, in ghost form, confronted the party and sent them to his tomb to slay his mummy, for an evil consciousness had taken it over and begun changing the state of the land slowly. The party managed to battle through the pyramid, they find many things in the pyramid- including a small chamber which has a makeshift version of the locale in a room smaller than a closet, and boats that can fly. Amazed by the wondrous devices of the pyramid, the party slays the Mummy Lord, and made peace with the area. Levels: 15 |-|The Dry Steppes Arc= The party, relieved of their duties to slay the Mummy Lord, now wander the desert, attempting to find their way home. Dregs and raiders alike confront them until they find a palace in the sands, with only one, massive chamber, and inside, an enormous genie lamp. After interacting with the lamp, Orric, a warrior, released the Desert Djinni, who immediately moved to destroy the villages in the desert sands. After allying with another, benevolent Djinni, they fought and slew the Desert Djinni, and finally escaped the Dry Steppes. Levels: 15-16 |-|House of Cards Arc= After several party members leaving due to a difference of belief (including Mogar) for some time, the party instead sought to learn of the whereabouts of a powerful relic- the Deck of Many Things. This relic forced them into a sub-dimension, a house comprised only of cards with eldritch enemies. After escaping from the House, it was revealed the House was a plot by a noteworthy Hag trying to destroy the party. She was fought and subsequently defeated. Levels: 16 |-|World at War Arc= The world was becoming embroiled in war at this point- Guardian City in particular had been surrounded by enemies, and relied on many alliances to slay the orcs of the Pomarj, with a notable battle taking place on the Wild Coast. It was during this time the party met with the liches and vampires of the locale, as well as the Elder Treant who had been corrupting the entirety of the Pomarj by its mere presence. Another major war occurring during this time was the War of the Hell Furnaces, notably inclduing an alliance of giants and other evil humanoids, fighting the countries of the Yeomanry, Duchy of Geoff, and Sterich- while the Duchy of Geoff fell, thanks to the intervention of the party (mainly Oulu and Mogar), the other countries managed to repel the threat. However, this arc was only just the beginning of the Mage Wars, wars that would cover the multiverse for a very long time... Levels: Varies |-|Tomb of the Nine Gods Arc= The party was once again commissioned and, in some cases, forced, by Xavier Nightchild to undertake a celestial errand- in this case, it was to retrieve his former allies who had been captured within the Tomb of the Nine Gods, a dungeon designed by Acererak. The party entered the tomb and entered a terrible battle of traps. The traps of the Tomb would be the end of several party members, including several times where they almost died- disintegrating orbs and pit falls were the end of many members. However, in the end, the party managed to make their way into the true tomb where Acererak was attempting to ascend to godhood. After a long battle including many prep-time spells (notably a wish), Acererak was weakened and slain, temporarily incapacitated. Levels: 15-17 |-|Dragon Cult Mini Arc= The party briefly was sent out to hunt dragons in the interest of taking their loot. Very little was done aside from slaying a handful of large drakes and their leader, a powerful Blue Dragon located deep in the heart of a large mountain. This campaign was organized by Arminius, who had been tracking the dragons for some time. Levels: 16 |-|Timeskip= The timeskip refers to the party taking a 25 year jump in events- during this time, kingdoms were built, strongholds were lost and wars were waged. Balin became a Mine King, Mogar forged the barony of Lordran, and Vaerun furthered the domain of Serth LaKresh, his empire in the North. Furthermore, Guardian City expanded to become a small state of cities- many things happened to advance the individual goals of the party, with each becoming much more powerful than previously. Levels: 16-41 VSBW Table Due to VSBW's setting being a divergent timeline as of the year 553 AR in-game, events after that in the main table may differ slightly. |-|False Goblin King Arc= A new adventuring party is hired out of desperation from the Keep on the Borderlands (the very same as the older Keep on the Borderlands arc). Work in progress. Power of the Verse Hax wise the verse resists nearly every piece of known hax, including hefty Mind Manipulation, Poison Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Fate Manipulation, and Causality Manipulation. Attack potency wise, the verse varies heavily, ranging from the literal fodder being 9-C due to being able to one-shot normal humans and wielding weapons of relatively normal potency, to Tier 1 beings such as Lumi and his servant, the Aliax. The following aims to describe the scaling to an unfamiliar being. * Low Tiers: 1.94 kg of TNT via Burning Hands, Levels 1-4 * Middle Low Tiers: 70.57 kg of TNT via Immolation, Levels 5-6 * Upper Low Tiers: 9.34 Tons of TNT via Shadow Rakshasa, Levels 7-12 * Lower Mid Tiers: 4.04 Kilotons of TNT via Desert Djinni, Levels 13-25 * Mid Tiers: 11.80 Megatons of TNT via Lord Wrathian, Levels 26-45 (Beings of this level and higher can achieve 6-B via Prep Time) * Upper Mid Tiers: 141.32 Megatons of TNT via The Circle of Eight, Levels 46+ * Lesser High Tiers: 1.72 Gigatons of TNT via Magisters, God-Touched Beings (Beings of this level and higher can achieve 5-A via Prep Time) * High Tiers: 14.41 Teratons of TNT via Deathwing, Varies (Demigods, Greater Beings, Elder Beings, etc) * Greater High Tiers: 2.7 Yottatons of TNT via Quazar Dragon, Varies (Celestial Dragons, Deific Avatars, etc) * Lesser Top Tiers: 2-C via Bobba Yogga, Up to Intermediate Deities * Greater Top Tiers: 2-A via Mystra and Asmodeus, Greater Deities * God Tiers: High 2-A via Ao and Lady of Pain, Varies Category:Blog posts Category:D&D Homebrew